Rotary engine.



A. WATT'E'RBEHG.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Patented May 22, 1917.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M m i m H 0 5 3 7 2 2 I 1 WITNESSES A TTOR/VEYS A. WATTERBERG.

ROTARY ENGINE..

APPLICATION FILED 0m. 23. I916.

Patented May 22,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WI TNESSES nymvron A TTOFNEYS A. W ATTERBEHG.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT-23.1916.

1,227,350. Patented May 221917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: [NYE/ TOR A TTORNEYS A.I WATITERBE ENGIN ROTARY E.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 23, I916- wk. Mm M 4 H w/mssm 5%"! ran AXELL WATTERBERG, F SANISI-I, NORTH DAKOTA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

reaasso.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1911?.

Application filed October 23, 1916. Serial No. 127,157.

' to provide a reversible engine which is sim- '11 to revolve therewith.

ple and eiiicient.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed. In

the accompanyin drawings, forming part of the application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding partsin all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the engine, the housing and tubular shaft being in section on line 11, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, axial section of the engine on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the engine on line 33, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view or. line 44, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar section on lines 5-5, Fig. 2; I

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on line 66, Fig. 2.; I I

Fig. 7 is a similar section on line 77, Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 shows the position of the valve when the engine is reversed; and

Fig.' 9 shows the cut-off control displaced to vary the expansion of the motor fluid in the engine.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the valve casing which is mounted on a tubular shaft The shaft is revolubly mounted in bearings 12 which are carried by standards 13 of'the engine base, which is notshown. Each hearing has an eccentric 1.4 on which a strap 15 is mounted to revolve. which bear on the periphery of the eccentric 14.

- The valve casing. 10 carries a plurality of cylinders 17 extending radially therefrom. A. piston 18 is provided in each cylinder,

The strap carries rollers 16 the rod 19 thereof projecting through the cylinder head 20. Each rod terminates in a crosshead 21 connected to the eccentric straps 15 by connecting rods 22. Guides 23 are provided on each cylinder head for the corresponding crosshead." The pins 24 which connect the crossheads to the eccentric strap each carry a roller 25. Each roller 25 is maintained against an independent circular track 26, the diameter of which track is equal to the piston displacement plus the diameter of roller. The four tracks on each side have the same angular relation as the cylinders. They are formed in a unitary member which is constrained to revolve with the tubular shaft.

A tubular valve 27 is provided in the valve casing 10, said valve extending through the tubular shaft 11. The projecting end of said valve passes through the head 28 of a conduit 29 through which motive fluid is supplied to the valve 27 where it registers with the head of the conduit 29. Suitable packings 30 sealthe head 28 of the valve 27. The valve 27 has inlet passages or ports 31 and 32. The port 31 registers with passages 33 in the valve casing when said casing revolves. These passages 33 are connected to corresponding cylinder heads 20 by conduits 3st through which motive fluid is admitted to the outer ends of the cylinder. The port 82 registers with passages 35 in the valve casing which lead directly to the adjacent or inner ends of the cylinders and through which the motive fluid is admitted to said cylinder ends. The valve '27 has also exhaust ports 86 and 37 separated from the admission ports 31 and 32 by a partition 38. The ports 36 and 37 register with passages 39 and 40 respectively in the'valve casing when the valve casing revolves. From there the gases have a free egress through the tubular shaft 11 which has openings registering with a head 56 of a conduit 55. The passages 40 are connected to the heads 20 of the corresponding cylinders by conduits 41.

The valve 27 is provided with an arm 42 whereby the valve may be turned Within the valve casing to advance or retard the registration. of the passages of the valve easing with the ports of the valve. As shown in Figs. 4c and 6, steam will be admitted to the cylinder above and below the horizontal plane after the cylinders have passed the vertical; therefore the application of the force for rotation of the engine Wlll begin past the dead center. The exhaust from the engine takes place, as will be noted from -Figs. 5 and 7, slightly before the cylinders .vided in the bearing cover of a standard 13 and whereby the valve 27 may be retained in any desired position.

A secondary tubular valve 45 is provided within the valve 27 to control the ports 31 and 32. Said secondary valve has ports 46 and 47 registering with the ports 31 and 32 respectively. The secondary valve carries a yielding member or spring 48 opposite the ports thereof with the ends of said yielding member projecting through the ports and lying at the ends of said ports. The ends of said yielding members 48 normally tend to project out of the cooperating port of the valve 27. The ends of said ports 31 and 32 are biased to facilitate the movement of the end of the yielding member 48 when said secondary valve is revolved therein by a milled head 49 provided on the projecting end of a rod 50 which extends from the secondary valve. By rotating the secondary valve the size of the admission ports 30 and ,31 may be varied and thereby the expansion of the motive fluid controlled. The yielding member 48 serves as friction locking means for retaining the two valves in the desired relative position, and also closes a small passage in 32 when 47 is moved to shorten the ports. I

The displacement of the pistons by the motive fluid is transformed into rotary movement of the cylinders by the connecting rods, circular tracks, and the eccentric strap. The revolving mass is preferably inclosed in a housing 51 which revolves with the cylinders. The housing has a plurality of apertures 52 at the periphery thereof which lead into a circular conduit 53 which has a drain 54 at the lowest point thereof. Lubricant is supplied to the bearings 12 through which it is carried by suitable grooves through the lower part of the eccentric 14, dripping on to the eccentric strap 15. Centrifugal force drives the oil throu h the connecting rod and crosshead to the other moving parts of the engine. The excess of oil which is thrown against the periphery of the casing passes to the conduit 53 from where it escapes through the drain.

I claim:

1. In a rotary engine, a tubular shaft, a plurality of cylinders mounted to rotate with the shaft, means for supplying motive fluid to the shaft, means for distributing the fluid to the cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, a rod for each piston, a stationary cccentric for said shaft, an' eccentric strap, a connecting rod from each piston to the strap, and means revoluble with the cylinders for guiding the movement of the connecting rods at the strap, and means for 1 of the cylinders, said passages adapted to register with the admission and exhaust ports of the valve when the valve casing is rotated, a piston in each cylinder, a rod for each piston, a stationary eccentric for said shaft, an eccentric strap, a connecting rod from each piston rod to the strap, and means revoluble with the cylinders for guiding the movement of the connecting rods at the strap.

3. In a rotary engine, a tubular shaft, a valve casing mounted to revolve with the shaft, cylinders on the casing to revolve therewith, a tubular valve in the casing pro ecting out of the tubular shaft, said valve having admission and exhaust ports, said casing having passages to both ends of each cylinder, said passages adapted to register with the ports of the valve when the casing is rotated, means for supplying motive fluid to the valve, means for turning a the valve whereby the admission of motive fluid to the cylinders may be varied and thereby the direction of rotation of the engine controlled, a piston in each cylinder, a rod for each piston, a stationary eccentric on the shaft, an eccentric strap, a rod connecting each piston rod to the strap, and means revoluble with the cylinder for guiding the movement of the connecting rods at the strap.

4. In a rotary engine, a tubular shaft, a plurality of cylinders mounted to rotate with the shaft, means for supplying motive fluid to the shaft, means for distributing the fluid to the cylinders, a piston in'each cylinder, a rod for each piston, a stationary eccentric on said shaft, an eccentric strap, a rod connecting each piston rod to the strap,.a roller at the connection of the rods with the strap, and a circular track for each roller revoluble with the cylinders, said track having a diameter substantially equalto the piston displacement, said means for distributing the fluid to the cylinders including means for controlling the exhaust from said cylinders through the shaft.

5. In a rotary engine,a tubular shaft, a plurality of cylinders mounted to rotate on the shaft, means for supplying motive fluid to the shaft, means for distributing fluid to the end of the cylinders, a piston in the cylinder, a' rod foreach piston, a crosshead at the extremity of each rod, guides for each crosshead, a stationary eccentric on said 'fluid to the ends of the cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, a rod for each piston, guiding means for each-rod, a stationary eccentric on said shaft, an eccentric strap, a connecting rod from each piston rod to the strap, and means revoluble with the cylinders for guiding the movement of the connecting rods at the strap, said means for distributingthe motive fluid to the cylinders including means for controlling the exhaust from the cylinders to the shaft.

7. In a rotary engine, a tubular shaft, a valve casing mounted to revolve with the shaft, cylinders on the casing to revolve therewith, a tubular valve in the casing projecting out of the tubular shaft, said valve having admission and exhaust ports, said casing having passages to both ends of each cylinder, said passages adapted to register with the ports of the valve when the casing is rotated, means for supplying motive fluid to the valve, a secondary valve in the first valve, said secondary valve having admission ports registering with the admission ports of the main valve, means for revolving said secondary valve within the main valve whereby the.size of the ports in the main valve'may be varied, yielding means carried by the secondary valve for engaging the main valve whereby the two valves may be frictionally locked, a piston in each cylinder, and motion-transmission means from the pistons to the shaft to'transform the reciprocating motion of the piston into rotary motion of the shaft.

8. In a rotary engine, a tubular shaft, a 60 valve caslng mounted to revolve with the shaft, cylinders on the casing to revolve therewith, a main tubular valve in the casin projecting out of the tubular shaft, said va ve having admission ports and exhaust ports, a partition separating the admission from the exhaust ports, said casing having passages at both ends of each cylinder, said passages adapted to register with the ports of the valve when the casing is rotated, means for supplying motive fluid to the valve end leading to the admission ports,

ma be varied ieldin members on the, c 23 secondary valve engaging the main valve frictionally whereby the secondary valve is prevented from accidental displacement within the main valve,-a piston in each cylinder, and motion-transmission means from the pistons to the shaft to transform the reciprocating movement of the pistons into the rotary movement of the shaft.

9. In a rotary engine, atubular shaft, a plurality of cylinders mounted to rotate with the shaft, means for supplying motive fluid to the shaft, means for distributing the fluid to the cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, a rod for each piston, an eccentric, and a connecting rod from eaclfibdto the cocentric, and ,means for distributing the 100 fluid to the cylinders including means for controlling the exhaust from the cylinders to the shaft. Y

10. In a rotary engine, a tubular shaft, a

valve casing revolving therewith, cylinders 105 on said valve casing, means for supplying fluid to the valve casing through said shaft, a tubular valve in said casing having initial and exhaust ports, said alve casing having passages leading to both ends of the cylin- 11o ders, said passa being adapted to register with the admission and the exhaust ports of the valve when thrval e casing is rotated, a piston in the cylinder, a rod for each piston, an eccentric on the shaft, and a con- 115 meeting rod from each rod to the eccentric.

AXELL WATTERBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0;

tubular valve in the. 

